Oklahoma is no stranger to wind. It sweeps across the plains, bends trees like matchsticks, and has shaped this land for centuries. Last Friday, March 14, Beckham County and much of western Oklahoma faced a powerful storm system that brought wind gusts up to 70 mph—strong enough to rip siding off homes, topple trees, and send anything not nailed down flying.
I know this firsthand. One corner of my own house lost its siding, revealing the bare bones of my home to all passers-by like an unsolicited anatomy lesson.
Across Beckham County, the storm left a path of destruction—and a fair amount of comedy—in its wake. Trash cans tumbled down Fourth Street in Sayre like runaway stagecoaches, couch cushions suddenly became the new tumbleweeds as they cartwheeled across yards and vast open spaces, and lawn chairs migrated to new locations, as if searching for better real estate. At one point, I could have sworn I saw Auntie Em and half of Oz blowing through town. Come on, you were thinking it—I just wrote it. Gone with the Wind.
While Beckham County took a beating from the storm, other parts of the state faced an even graver situation. A staggering 130 wildfires erupted across 44 Oklahoma counties, fueled by relentless winds and dry conditions. The fires claimed at least four lives, destroyed or damaged more than 400 homes, and forced emergency crews into a desperate battle against the flames. Our neighbors to the east and south weren’t just chasing down trash cans—they were fighting to save homes, farms, and lives.
FIGHTING THE STORM HEAD-ON While most people hunkered down, Beckham County’s city crews weren’t waiting for the storm to pass—they were out in it. As the wind roared, they were already clearing roads, cutting fallen trees, and keeping the town from looking like the set of a disaster movie. They didn’t wait until it was safe. They tackled the storm like it was just another day at the office—if their office happened to be in a wind tunnel filled with flying debris.
It made me think about the Dust Bowl era—when Oklahoma windstorms weren’t just a nuisance, but a way of life. Back in the 1930s, entire families watched as their land was blown out from under them, with dust storms that could last for days. Some of the worst storms had wind speeds similar to what we saw last Friday, often reaching 50-60 mph, with occasional gusts over 60 mph.
The biggest difference? We had a storm that passed through in a matter of hours. They endured years of it. Their dust didn’t just settle on fence lines—it buried entire farms, swallowed homes, and made breathing a full-time struggle. Compared to that, we just had to chase down a few trash cans and replace some shingles.
HOW THIS STORM STACKS UP To put last Friday’s winds into perspective: - Hurricanes are classified as Category 1 when sustained winds reach 74-95 mph. Our gusts were flirting with that range, meaning Beckham County basically had a baby hurricane without the beachfront views.
- Tornadoes are rated EF0 with winds of 65-85 mph, so this storm was like a tornado that got distracted and just decided to hang out.
Across western Oklahoma and into the Texas Panhandle, Friday’s storm produced gusts up to 70 mph locally and as high as 82 mph in Lubbock, Texas, causing widespread damage. In Sayre, we felt the full force of the storm, with high winds knocking out power in some areas, ripping through fences, and leaving the county looking battered.
But just like in the past, Oklahomans don’t back down from the wind. The morning after, Beckham County’s city workers were still at it, making sure the towns were cleaned up and running smoothly. Their fast action was a reminder that resilience isn’t just a word here—it’s a way of life.
Oklahoma has seen its share of storms, and this one won’t be the last. But if there’s one thing we know out here, it’s that when the wind comes, we bend—but we don’t break.
